by Eugene Clingman

From the beginning the devil has twisted the truth into a lie. “Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the Garden?’…You will not surely die!” The devil and his recruits continue to corrupt God’s Word today and so the fight for truth continues. The International Church Council Project is engaged in this fight. Our mission statement reads, “To establish for the 21st century a biblical-theological standard of doctrine for the Body of Christ in 80 targeted countries, consistent with the mainstream theology of the first 20 centuries.” Let’s look at this statement a few words at a time.

“To establish for the 21st century” – I will comment later.

“A biblical-theological standard of doctrine” – The Christian faith by its very nature must be expressed in words (in propositions, teachings, doctrines). These words, when received, produce faith and faith leads to right action. Change the content of the words and the faith is changed and in turn so are the actions. Compromised words produce a compromised faith, which produces compromised actions. God has ordained that individuals, cultures, and the world be transformed through His Word, but this can only happen as the true Words of God are preserved and communicated!

Because the Body of Christ is one people who serve one Lord and hold to one Bible, and because our faith is expressed in words (propositions, teachings, doctrines), it is therefore reasonable and right that there be “a biblical-theological standard of doctrine.” “Impossible!” say some! Granted, we differ in modes of baptism, in form of church government, and in how we view the order of events surrounding the coming of our Lord, yet in the essentials we are one. Within Christianity there are differences but there are also essentials without which Christianity is not Christianity. ICCP is fighting for those truths currently being compromised, truths that need to be clarified, truths which the entire Body of Christ can and should draw a line in the sand and stand together in God’s truth. This standard will equip her with valiant weaponry for her fight. ICCP seeks to facilitate the emergence of “a biblical-theological standard of doctrine.” We believe there needs to be such a standard!

“For the Body of Christ.” This is a trans-denominational and trans-national effort serving the global Body of Christ. We are a worldwide body; we should have a worldwide standard!

“In 80 targeted countries”. Though we target 80 countries, we welcome any nation where leaders step forward and ask to participate.

The final words of our mission statement read, “consistent with the mainstream theology of the first 20 centuries.” ICCP seeks to preserve and repair the Church’s theological foundations. We seek genuine historic Christian orthodoxy. Therefore each participant must himself be orthodox in his own Christian faith. Each participant must be in agreement with the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and the Forty-two Articles of a Christian Worldview (available at www.ChurchCouncil.org or by postal service when requested). If they genuinely agree with these documents, they are in agreement with the essentials of the historic Christian faith. ICCP does not seek the lowest common theological denominator or compromise with the liberal and neo-orthodox. We seek “Unity Around Orthodoxy!” We believe ICCP’s twenty-two topic papers are in agreement with historic Christian orthodoxy. ICCP is inviting the rest of the Body of Christ to examine these papers, endorse them as they are if in good conscience they can or, if necessary, help us make them more biblically faithful to the point where they and we can endorse them and thus arrive at that “biblical-theological standard of doctrine.”

I promised to return to the first words of the ICCP mission statement which read, “To establish for the twenty-first century.” We seek to “establish” because there is no such standard established and yet there should be! There should be because Christ’s Body is one, the Bible is one, our faith is one. Though we have differences, we have one faith at the foundation.

Dr. Jay Grimstead, Director of the International Church Council Project recently wrote, “Over the past 45 years as America drifted further away from the sane, workable and just biblical principles on which our nation and society were founded, more and more false, anti-biblical teachings crept into the evangelical churches and seminaries until a large percentage of the Bible believing churchs worldwide were hearing and inhaling these false teachings like dangerous smog entering their lungs. As our COR committee encountered more and more of these falsehoods and some outright heresies, we sensed God leading us to create biblical, theological documents dealing with each of these falsehoods and to eventually organize a global church council like the Council of Nicea in 325 AD to deal with these falsehoods in a systematic and global way. Our team of 42 theologians has created 22 such theological documents answering these false teachings and stating the biblical and historic position on each issue.”

I believe Dr. R.J. Rushdoony is correct in saying, “It is not enough, in dealing with a present danger, to avoid it by citing the fact that someone dealt with the matter in the past. If an enemy attacks today the enemy must be fought today, but without a surrender of past victories.” And Martin Luther spoke in a similar tone five hundred years ago – “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

The battle is raging against the Church from all sides. Her Lord is strong! She is destined to win! Yet the battle is not won by looking on. The battle must be engaged. God in His sovereignty will give victory, but not apart from our faithful obedience. Join us in pressing forward this battle! ICCP is a strategic weapon for our time. We need your help!

You can make a donation by mail:
International Church Council Project
RR 1 Box 1540
Winona, MO 65588

Or donate on line at www.ChurchCouncil.org

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